09 December 2014

Protein timing....pfft.

A recent Bicycling article claims that "[c]onsuming protein and after rides can help stave off muscle loss". The article even references a study published in Sports Medicine as support. Unfortunately, there is no link to the study itself so it is difficult to comment on the specific support claimed by the author. However, a quick search of recent scholarly articles across multiple journals tends to conclude the opposite. A recent meta-analysis in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition concludes that their study "refute[s] the commonly held belief that the timing of protein intake in and around a training session is critical to muscular adaptations and indicate that consuming adequate protein in combination with resistance exercise is the key factor for maximizing muscle protein accretion." See http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1550-2783-9-54A 2009 study concludes: Results indicate that the time of protein-supplement ingestion in resistance-trained athletes during a 10-wk training program does not provide any added benefit to strength, power, or body-composition changes. See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19478342

Of course, protein intake is important. You should be ingesting at least 0.8g protein per kilogram of body weight per day. This is a global consensus figure for the adequate amount to satisfy the protein needs of a healthy adult. There is less agreement as to whether athletes require more protein, and if so, how much. There are negative effects associated with excessive protein consumption (and counter-examples as well), so "more is better and can't hurt" probably doesn't apply. Also, if you are at all concerned about body weight, excessive protein ingestion could contribute to weight gain (assuming you continue to consume the same amount of fat and carbohydrates). Also notable, studies indicate that female athletes tend to under-consume protein as compared to men.The bottom line, 1.2g/kg/d to 1.6g/kg/d is probably a reasonable range for most training cyclists. Adjust your diet to this range and then stop thinking about it. As always, caveat lector.

Pages

About

I am a full-time coach at Winkler Cycling in Boulder, Colorado. I work with athletes all over the country. I coach riders competing at all levels in the disciplines of MTB. Road and Cyclocross.

I started racing at 17 in 1986 as a junior and "retired" at 25. My first year riding I finished 9th in the U.S. National Championships Individual Time Trial and had other high placings in regional junior races. For the next several years I raced with the U.S. National Team and various trade teams in the U.S., Germany, and Spain.

During my career I was fortunate to be able race in Europe and to participate in a number of important races including the Tour of Baja, the Tour de l'Avenir, the Tour of Texas, the Tour de Trump, the Milk Race, the Ruta Mexico, the USPRO Road Race Championships and many others.

During those years, I learned how to race bikes by riding with and against a number of bike racers who were already great or would soon become so: Greg Lemond, Lance Armstrong, Steve Hegg, Harvey Nitz, Bobby Julich, George Hincapie, Sean Kelly, Laurent Fignon, Marc Madiot, Olaf Ludwig, Alex Zulle, Abraham Olano, Tyler Hamilton, and many others.